Washing Troubles Away
by Mandy of the Amoeba
Summary: Magenta reflects a little after the deaths of Columbia, Frank and Rocky.


A/N: Just a little ficlet taking place right after the movie. From Magenta's POV.

She hadn't dared move when Riff had the laser in his hand. As much as she wanted to cry out, to stop him from shooting Columbia when the girl screamed, she knew her brother well enough to stay quiet. In his agitated state, it was entirely possibly that he would turn the gun on her if she startled him. But Columbia's death had shocked her; it was not planned. Neither was Franks, for that matter, or Rocky's. The plan was to threaten Frank, frighten him, and then take him prisoner. But once the girl had screamed...it had triggered a reaction from Riff Raff, and after she was dead, it gave him the courage to throw the plan out the window and do away with Frank. She had stood by him, always that one step behind, the obedient sister. Those were his instructions: stick by him no matter what, because two figures were more imposing than one. It wasn't until after they were all dead, after Riff's fury was spent, that she felt safe in speaking to him. His screamed response was more than enough to let her know that he was upset over what he had done; even his soothing words about their return to Transexual wasn't enough to convince her that he was all right again. Then again, perhaps it was her own feelings that were upset by what had gone on.

Now that the castle was safely on its way to the galaxy of Transylvania, Magenta found herself in the shower; Frank's shower, in the large bathroom, not the tiny one she was used to. It wasn't that she needed to shower again; she had done so earlier in the night. She just needed to try and rinse off the feeling of guilt from her. There was more than enough water to last them the trip back. The castle was practically it's own town, able to survive independently of outside resources for some time. Her uniform lay scattered on the floor, the white pieces from her hair unclipped and lying by the sink. They were merely for decoration, just an addition to her appearance to use as another scare tactic.

Pulling the curtain around the shower, she turned the water on full blast to a temperature so hot, it was almost scalding. She never had time for hot showers when working for Frank; she was always kept busy. Closing her eyes, she turned her face towards the water, smiling a little. It was so nice to be free from his tyranny!

Still, she hadn't wanted him dead. She had wanted revenge, of course...revenge for herself, revenge for her beloved brother. But dead? She had never wanted that, and she worried how they were going to explain the death to the authorities upon their return. All she could do was trust in her brother; he had a brilliant mind, and would surely be able to come up with a solution.

Sighing, she ran her hands over her body, rinsing it with the steaming water. She didn't use any of Frank's soaps; the last thing she wanted was to have his scent on her. She just washed with water so hot that it was beginning to make her pulse grow rapid, nearly making her dizzy. It was nice, in a way...the intense heat was nearly calming. However, calming or not, her mind was not at ease.

It was Columbia's death that bothered her, moreso than Frank's or Rocky's. While the girl could be downright annoying at times, she and Magenta had formed a bond since Frank had picked her up. They were almost like sisters, giggling and playing together whenever they weren't busy serving Frank in various ways. Riff Raff had promised that they would take the girl back to Transexual with them; she would fit into society perfectly. Her solo during the Time Warp had been to test the waters with the other Transylvanians, just to see how they would react to her, and she had been well-received. To have her taken away so suddenly and needlessly wasn't easy.

Magenta sighed, rolling her head around so that the water beat on her neck and chest. The heat was beginning to turn her pallid skin pink; it was strangely soothing. She couldn't let herself think about Columbia too much. After all, she and Riff Raff were finally free to live their lives without being used by Frank. They were free to return to their home planet, a thing which Magenta had longed for ever since they had left it. They were free to be with one another, to enjoy one another's company fully instead of spending their time together doctoring lashes and bruises. True, things hadn't happened the way they should have, but the end result was still achieved. They were free.

She heard the door to the bathroom open and shut, and she smiled a little. "Joining me?" she asked through the curtain, her voice a throaty purr. A faint chuckle sounded from the room.

"Perhaps later," Riff Raff replied. "I don't want to get too...distracted. Not until the ship has fully settled into its return route."

Shutting off the faucet, Magenta wrung most of the water out of her hair and wiped her face with her hands before drawing the curtain aside. Her brother had changed from his uniform into plain black slacks and nothing else. He was waiting with a smile on his face, holding the towel open for her, and she gratefully stepped into it, letting him wrap it and his arms around her tightly. Closing her eyes, she snuggled against him, resting her damp face against his chest with a sigh.

"We're free, my angel," he murmured, echoing her previous thoughts. She could feel his heart pounding against her, and she tilted her head to kiss the base of his throat lightly. She knew his words were to reassure himself as much as they were to reassure her. In time, she knew he would forget about the guilt that killing their companions had caused him. It would dull and be replaced with a sense of power, a sense of accomplishment. But right now, no matter how he tried to hide it, she could feel that his nerves were still on edge. She did the only thing she knew to do.

"I love you," she said softly, pulling away from him enough so that she could look up into his eyes. She could almost see some of the tension leaving his face, tension she knew he wasn't even aware of holding. He smiled softly at her; for the first time in years, his smile was almost peaceful. He didn't bother saying the words back, opting instead to hold her close to him again. She didn't need him to say anything at all, never had. And, for one moment in time, the two of them were all that mattered in the entire universe.


End file.
